The Hard Way: Size Doesn’t Matter

DFW is back with another article where we learn things the hard way so you don’t have to. On the docket this time around is a case of overlooking talent in one of its many forms. Talent comes in all shapes and sizes. And it comes from anywhere. Sometimes it shows in the blink of an eye, sometimes it presents itself slowly over time, and sometimes it’s just always been there. I made the mistake of misidentifying this “talent” a number of times so listen up and don’t do the same thing.

It all started back in 2005 with a guy we now lovingly refer to as BMW. He may not have been the first of my errors in this vein but he is the earliest one I can remember. Big Mike Williams came into the league and was thought to be as talented as anyone. His combination of size and strength and the possibility of being a prototypical number 1 WR drew me in. And Big Mike wasn’t the only one I fell for. Dwayne Jarrett, Robert Meachem, Limas Sweed, and Devin Thomas were all guys I overdrafted because I felt they had the size to be the go to guy on their team. If these giants with huge bodies, great physical presence, and solid hands couldn’t succeed; couldn’t catch touchdowns in bunches then who the hell could?

And while mooning over these prototypical WR1’s I was busy hating on players like Desean Jackson, Donnie Avery, and Eddie Royal and others. I just felt they were too small to hold up or make a name for themselves in this big boy league. They had speed sure but that only takes you so far. Guys like Wes Welker and Steve Smith were mere abberations. They couldn’t be counted on for steady production and it was just a matter of time until their lack of size caught up with them.

Well… I don’t even need to tell you how that all worked out. Sure a couple of the smaller guys I listed fizzled out but they put up big numbers at some point. And there are other examples I’m sure you all can bring forth that I’m simply not thinking of here. The point I’m getting at, and the lesson I learned the hard way, is that size does NOT matter. Talent comes in many forms and you shouldn’t base your decisions solely on prototypical size, strength, speed, or any other stat for that matter. Judge a player by what you see on the field and their play-making ability not just the opportunity their body type presents them.

In fact I’d argue that a lot can be said for the smaller players coming up the ranks. They have to work that much harder than the big guys to make a name for themselves. This brings us to the issue many of the guys I mentioned as favorites had. They had protypical size for sure but they didn’t have to work for it because of that fact. They got lazy and complacent. And in the NFL there’s no surer way to ensure your career will be short than that. Smaller guys also have to be that much more talented to go up and get a ball or to fight off a jam at the line of scrimmage when they’re shorter or weaker than the DB’s covering them. They need speed, agility, lateral quickness, and explosiveness that many other players lack.

Now don’t get me wrong here. I’m not trying to overcompensate for my prior love of big WR’s and I won’t tell you to go all out for the little guys. I’m just saying that all players have a chance to be successful. So don’t discount anyone because of his measurable. Keep an eye out for talent whenever it shows itself. Be it in college, training camp, a flashy play from a backup WR or anything else. Just identify talent in its many forms and hitch your wagon to those players that you feel can be successful based on that.

I’m sure you’ve all had situations like this where you’ve misjudged players or excluded certain people from your draft boards for one reason or another. If so I’d like to hear them. Add some comments or hit up our forums. And don’t make the same mistake I did by judging a book by its cover. If you do you’ll end up in the same boat. Learning yet another lesson. The hard way.

I really like this article Shamrock. It seems like a no-brainer, but we ALL do this. Maybe our “overlook” isn’t small WRs but we all have them. This is just a great reminder not to do that.

jaysports

I think it all starts with NFL GM’s who chase those measureables, the hype follows closely behind for rookie drafts. There have been a ton of guys that fit this example, and I’m sure we’ve all been snake bit by that at one point or another.

You really have to use the eyeball test when it comes to rookies in my opinion. A player should pop off the screen with his talent. Some people say that ou should just trust the NFL GMs as that’s what they do for a living. It’s just as big of a guessing game for them too, so id rather be my own GM and evaluate them based on what I see on film or in games. Some players this year that could fit this mold are Hill and Jeffery.

Road Warrior

I’m better most people who have played for years have had something they’ve learned from. This is such an inexact science. Great read, looking for more like this.

Bill

Good article but I’d like to see examples of who to draft and not to draft in relation to the subject matter of this article. It’s somewhat of a blanket statement without any concrete help in building a winning team

I can see that Bill but I wrote the article with that exact intent. My goal with most articles is to teach a man to fish not just give him the swordfish on a plate. I did give some examples from my past and those examples were what taught me “The Hard Way” that size doesn’t matter. Current guys I’m employing that benefit from that lesson (since I’m told being on my fantasy team is an honor) are Tavon Austin, Andrew Hawkins, Giovani Bernard, and LaMichael James. The main point here is just to evaluate a player based on his merits not his size. Hope that helps some.

Tom McBride

Shamrock, interesting read. I tend to think a player’s size is more/less valuable depending on league format and position. In trad formats where TDs are more important I think that you want bigger WRs and more stoutly built RBs since they project to see the ball more in red zone and goal line situations. Obviously, things change if we are talking ppr as the value of slot receivers and smaller backs like Sproles get bumped up, but for me the size and body type of a player carries a lot of weight in my draft and trade decisions.